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2009-08-06
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When I received the invite from 師兄 to a seafood feast at 金九記, it reminded me that I haven’t had a proper “grand” seafood feast in Hong Kong for years. My immediate reaction to the dinner was of course “Yes, Yes, and Yes!!”, and my anticipation became sky high! I have never been disappointed by the dinner gatherings organized by 師兄, and there was no exception this time.40+ of us occupied the air-conditioned attic level (閣樓) of 金九記, a modest seafood restaurant, sort of like a 排檔餐廳 located at 西貢白
When I received the invite from 師兄 to a seafood feast at 金九記, it reminded me that I haven’t had a proper “grand” seafood feast in Hong Kong for years. My immediate reaction to the dinner was of course “Yes, Yes, and Yes!!”, and my anticipation became sky high! I have never been disappointed by the dinner gatherings organized by 師兄, and there was no exception this time.
40+ of us occupied the air-conditioned attic level (閣樓) of 金九記, a modest seafood restaurant, sort of like a 排檔餐廳 located at 西貢白沙灣. I couldn’t help but smile to myself like an idiot when I read the menu, which consisted of 3 arrival snacks, 10 seafood dishes, and 2 desserts. With the wine starting to flow around, we enjoyed a few welcome snacks while waiting for others to arrive.
Salted Boiled Chicken Feet (鹽水雞腳) and Salted Baked Pig’s Trotters (油鹽焗豬手仔) used the same savory seasoning and were boiled to achieve tender soft gelatinous coating rather than crunchy skins from cold blanching. They were delicious to gnaw on with the savory aroma of the spices and the 沙薑 dipping sauce complemented well with wine and beer. It’s hard to screw up Deep Fried Chicken Soft Bones with Garlic (蒜香雞軟骨) when they were freshly fried and piping hot. We were all hungry and the welcome snacks were gone quite quickly.
Our true Seafood Feast started with Boiled Whelks (白灼東風螺) which were fresh and medium in size, but the Steamed Fresh Abalone (陳皮清蒸鮑魚) totally stole the show. The abalone was very meaty yet tender and soft, and the simple preparation worked well to accentuate the freshness of the ingredients. Steamed Razor Clams with Vermicelli and Garlic (蒜茸粉絲蒸聖子王), on the other hand, were over-steamed and very chewy. A shame, as the gigantic razor clams would have been succulent when cooked right, and the vermicelli which absorbed the razor clam juice was the saving grace of the dish.
The highlights of the dinner for me were definitely the Duo of Local Squids (吊桶)! Soy Sauced Glazed Squids (豉油王吊桶) was SUPER DELICIOUS as the slightly sweet soy sauce matched perfectly with the savory squids. When bite in, the squids were crunchy and fresh, savory and sweet (爽脆, 鮮甜, 鹹香) at the same time. It just screamed freshness! Imagine that! I was even more in love with the Steamed Squid with Garlic (蒜茸粉絲蒸吊桶). Why? Because this dish encapsulated every bit of the savory ocean freshness (海水的鹹鮮) with the straightforward approach, and I felt like I was relishing the sea when I ate the vermicelli that soaked up all the essence of the squids. If I were at home I would have probably licked the plate clean. It was just divine! I haven’t had squids like these before and just these two dishes are worth a trip back to 金九記.
I didn’t realize that we were only half way through the grand seafood menu when I was indulging in amazing squids. When a platter of Salt and Oil Baked Crabs (油鹽焗奄仔蟹) arrived at the table, everyone’s eyes glowed with the yellowish crabs roes appeared ready to explode from the shells. While my piece was indeed full of tomalley (爆膏), I must agree with the previous poster that the tomalley wasn’t very sweet or aromatic (不太甘香). Perhaps it was only my piece as I saw people "fighting" for extra pieces and slurping on crab meat and tomalley like there is no tomorrow! (You know who you are! ). In contrast with the signature items, the Jumbo Prawns with Cheese on E-Fu Noodles (芝士大蝦伊麵底) and Boy Choi and Tofu Seafood Soup (白菜豆腐海鮮湯) became rather ordinary despite proper execution, as you could find similar dishes in many restaurants in the city. Steamed Grouper (清蒸老虎班) was a monster in size and the one for our table was steamed quite well (another table had an oversteamed fish). After the "葉問古法拆骨功", I "strategically" picked some fish head and fins which were mainly just skins with little meat and you really couldn’t find such gelatinous, velvety, and flavorful fish skins unless you have a fish of this size.
The two non-seafood dishes, namely the Salty Chicken (鹽焗雞) and Stir-fried Ony Choy with Belachan (馬拉盞炒通菜) were obviously overshadowed by the seafood, and to be honest I was too full to try them given that there were also some homemade delicious treats for the birthday gal and pal. I did manage to sneak a bite of the Deep-Fried Sesame Glutinous Balls (自家製炸湯圓), which was original and surprisingly delicious with the gooey skins wrapping around the lava-like sesame filling! 桂花糕 and 西瓜 were also well-received by others, but I was so stuffed that I could hardly move myself out of the restaurant.
This seafood feast was extremely enjoyable with the plethora of high quality fresh seafood one after another. Of course the endless laughters and chats between old and new friends are always important for a perfect dining experience. While the dinner temporarily cured my seafood craving, I found myself still savoring that oceanic flavor of the squids and starting to yearn for them again! Now that the fishing resting period is over, I am sure that I will be back to 金九記 with friends to enjoy more good time and seafood!
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